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Saturday, October 26, 2013

I think it is time to have a plant update as November is approaching fast. Here there is no real change in the weather, we have hot, humid, sunny days. As for this weekend, the temperature is a bit lower than average, so I can keep the window and the balcony door open all day.

It seems the plants love this climate and this temperature is just fine for them in this season.

They say `hi` to You from the sunny balcony in Coral Gables.

Brunfelsia plicata (I
hope I found the correct name of this plant).

Marigolds. Proud marigolds.

Basil plants.

Little lemon trees.

New members of the family: different types of lettuce.

Tomato plants after planting them in containers.

Marjoram. So cute.

Dill, growing strong.

I had to wait a lot for them but now they seem to grow a bit faster. They are my violas.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hello Everyone,Let`s see what we have today.I am showing you how to make your own stamp and use it on the cover sheet on your bed.

This time: blue fabric paint.

This is how DIY stamp looks like.

Your `best friend`, the foam brush.

Painting, step-by-step, row-by-row. The key is patience.

And the result.

Instructions:

1. Choose the sheet you wish to paint, wash it, dry it but do not use softener. You can iron it depending on the fabric. As you can see, I skipped that step.

2. Choose a stamp/pattern you think will be perfect for you. How to make your own stamp:

You can make your own stamp yourself. What you need is: a hard cube (I used a wooden cube that I bought in a hobby shop), some strong liquid glue and a foam sheet.

Your foam sheet doesn`t have to be thick. I found a pretty thin one but I used two layers, so my stamp is more efficient.

So what you need to do is, get the wooden cube and the glue, cut out a shape that you would like to stamp with (it can`t be bigger than the surface of the cube you stick it to). Glue the shape to the cube and wait until it fully dries. I cut out a square shape to start with and I was truly satisfied with the result. I recommend you to cut out simple shapes such as a triangle, a star, a square or a round shaped or oval pattern.

The following steps are the same as with the hand-painted pillowcase.Important: make sure you put at least one layer of newspaper on the surface you paint the sheet on. I used newspaper and I still had a hard time removing the fabric paint from the table as the sheets of the newspaper were sliding on the wooden table. :(

I decided to use the birdcage pattern because it is big enough to decorate and remake a traditional size pillowcase.

The color now is green, and the brush is a foamy brush this time. This type of brush helps you to cover the surface (this time your stamp) evenly and thoroughly.

The first rows on the pillowcase...

... and some more.

How it looks like in our home.

Patter from a closer look with natural light.

Voila.

Instructions:

1. Choose the pillowcase you wish to paint, wash it, dry it but do not use softener. You can iron it depending on the fabric.

2. Choose a stamp/pattern you think will be perfect for you.

3. Choose the color and prepare some water and a dry piece of towel that you will use to clean the brush when needed.

4. Choose a brush. I highly recommend a foam brush (you can make it yourself too) as it helps you to cover the surface evenly and paint will not be dripping.

5. Important: make sure you put at least one layer of newspaper in the pillowcase so your pattern or its parts will not show on the other side of the pillow (that is ugly) or on the table you paint the fabric on.

6. Cover the stamp with paint, make sure the paint is not dripping and stamp your fabric. Do not be scared of it, if you are not comfortable and feel you will mess it up then I recommend you to try it first on a piece of cloth that you do not use.

6. Have fun AGAIN! :)

PS: I think this DIY project can be a nice Thanksgiving or Christmas present. You will have plenty of time to practice until then. :)

Monday, October 21, 2013

Today I will show you how I decorated an old, plain wall board by using some nice multi-functional fabric paint.

The plain wall board before the remake.

The paint I used.

Plenty of brushes to choose from.

The brush I painted with.

Some water is essential too.

Preparation.

Some paint...and we can start.

Pattern: straight, wide lines.

I wanted to hide some bad parts of the frame.

With the first coat of paint.

How it looks like after putting the second coat on.

Instructions:

You really don`t have to do a lot of things here.

1. Basically, you should clean the surface (the frame) with a wet and then a dry towel.

2. Choose a paintbrush you think will be the right size for you (it depends on what pattern you really want).3. Choose the color and prepare some water and a dry piece of towel that you will use to clean the brush and/or the table, your hand and who knows what else. :) 4. You can create a wavy, straight, pointed..etc pattern with your brush. (I painted the frame with a straight and wide pattern that made the board look wider.)5. Make sure you wait 10-15 minutes before you put the second layer of paint on the surface.6. Have fun!